Microsoft 365 'Copilot' uses AI to automate everyday tasks in multiple apps

Microsoft is using artificial intelligence to help eliminate drudgery at the workplace. At its "Future of Work" event, the company has revealed an AI-powered Microsoft 365 Copilot that, as suggested by leaks, can create content in Office apps using text requests. You can ask PowerPoint to create a presentation based on a Word document, for example, and even get it to apply animations or styles across all your slides.

Other apps have similar functionality. Word can create a proposal based on spreadsheet data, or change a report's entire tone. Excel can break down data or predict the effect of a variable change. Outlook can summarize your emails or draft responses, while Teams can recap meetings or even weigh the pros and cons of a discussion topic. A new Business Chat tool brings in information from multiple apps to deal with project developments, customer incidents and planning.